Best Gaming Motherboards of 2017

The motherboard also known as mainboard or system board is the backbone of the computer. If the CPU is the brains of the computer, then the motherboard is the nervous system, it connects it all together.

Thus, for everything to run smooth and fast, you need a good nervous system, so today I will show you a few of the best gaming motherboards out there. A few years back it was a real mind-melter to find a good motherboard for gaming in a specific price range, but nowadays even the lower end manufacturers can make a good motherboard that can easily go toe to toe with the big dogs.

Proper motherboard shopping isn`t complicated, but it still requires some solid enough knowledge about other computer components you are planning to buy, or already have since you could waste time, money and potential performance. If you know what to look for you will not have much of a problem finding the perfect motherboard for your setup.

[icons icon=”alert” color=”#dd0000″] Tips on finding the best motherboard for gaming

These are just a few main things to look into when scouting for the right motherboard for you.

Intel or AMD motherboard?: The first thing should be making the decision between Intel or AMD type motherboards. This largely depends on what kind of budget you have (because we all know that Intel CPUs costs a decent amount of cash more than AMD, and both of them has their ups and downs), and what kind of CPU you want or already have.

Does size matter? (Form Factor): A motherboard’s form factor kinda determines its capabilities, dimensions, power supply type, port quantity and even mounting holes. So, you should keep in mind what size your motherboard is when buying a case or looking for one to fit the case you already have, so you can fit it, plus the size determines how much expansion slots there is going to be. Nowadays there are mainly four types of form factors used: ATX, ETX, Micro ATX and Mini ITX

RAM Bays: In almost every situation the more Random Access Memory (or RAM) you have, the more efficient your computing is going to be. Most motherboards hold from 2 to 8 expansions slots, each one holds single memory module (aka DIMM) of a certain type, capacity, and speed (nowadays most used types are DDR3 and DDR4 with about 8 Gb size per slot). You should know what kind of speed your motherboard can take and in what types, so you can make the best of both component capabilities because you really would not want to buy the wrong type and waste the money.

Expansion slots: A motherboard expansion slot gives you the option to add additional capabilities to your computer, the most common being PCIe (PCI Express) which comes in four (x16, x8, x4 and x1) port sizes and is a standard for video cards, and backward compatible in size. So you should know how much expansion slots you have and what type they are. Note that if you are building a PC for gaming, you need at least one x16 slot for more powerful gear.

Storage: Many Hard Drives (or HDDs) and Solid State Drives or (SSDs) are connected to your motherboard by Serial ATA (SATA) ports, running either at speed of 3 Gb/s or 6 Gb/s and most commonly requiring from 2 to 8 of these connectors.

Power Connectors:Like everything else inside your PC, the motherboard needs power too, and just about every motherboard will have two power connectors: a larger one with 24 pins and a smaller one with 4 to 8 pins. Older motherboards used a 20 pin connector, so you should know what kind of power connectors your motherboard will have, so you can miss a nasty surprise after buying all your gear. Also, before buying you should figure out the power wattage that suits your build so that all of your devices have enough power to work.

Extras: There is still a lot of other extras that are nice, and can save few bucks for your build. When you have decided what kind of motherboard you need or want, you can check if the motherboard has wireless network antennas (although you will be connecting your computer via cable, it is still nice to have such technology, because you never know where you might run into a piece of gear that needs this kind of connection), a built in audio card (there are going to be a lot of motherboards that have a really high-quality audio card built into them and you won’t need to buy a new audio card for those High-Quality music moments) and RGB strips (for those who want to have some cool colour in their build). Also worth knowing is whether the motherboard allows overclocking of your CPU and RAM to get just a little bit more out of your PC build. There are still a ton of extras that manufacturers add on their motherboards and going through all of them would need a whole book, which is why we’ve mentioned just a few.

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One of the best gaming motherboards for I7 that support 6th generation Intel processors. Although there are a lot of other competitors, it excels a bit over them all mainly because of carefully picked parts and software that allows complete customization for your computer. ROG armor with reinforced back plate gives it a decent protection and stability, plus it has some of the undeniable ASUS durability and quality.

Features and Extras

It comes with free Kaspersky Anti-Virus (1 year), Daemon tools pro (1 year), PC Cleaner, Crosschill EK cooling that supports both air and liquid cooling, Gamerfirst IV Beta (allows you to optimize your network traffic to ensure that you get the best latency possible), and Keybot 2 that allows you to use Macros to control your computer, provides one click overclock, changes computer profiles and enables special functions. Maximus VIII comes with 3-year manufacturer warranty (although ASUS claims that warranty may change for some regions).

Conclusion

Asus Maximus VIII Formula is a ROG motherboard so it is dedicated to gamers and overclockers. Its most important aspect is the EK VRM water block which can cool down the temperature and provide better stability even in the most demanding situations. Also, a ROG Armor covers most of the PCB electronics and gives the board a nice look. The newest addition to the pack is the RGB illumination capability which is good news for modders. It’s difficult to pinpoint any area that the Maximus VIII Formula doesn’t excel in. In fact, it’s fantastic in pretty much every area from performance to audio and with overclocking too. It lacks nothing in terms of features you’d likely need. The overall price is pretty high compared to others, however, if you look at performance/price it is not so bad since ASUS comes packed with features and does not lack performance in any way.

Maximus IX is the best gaming motherboard for I7 7th generation Intel processors and just as VIII, even with a lot of competitors, it still excels at performance/price ratio and the build quality is top of the ROG line. Upgraded with top of the line safety systems and surge protections to ensure easier mounting and protection of your system. With incredible durability and strength, courtesy of ROG armor, you get one powerful, mean and lean looking motherboard with the armor acting as a heat shield at the same time.

Features and Extras worth mentioning

It comes with a lot of included extras, for example, Languard which ensures safer and more stable connections, improved GamerFirst 4 that optimizes trafficking and ensures faster and lag free online gaming plus with added Multi-Gate Teaming it allows you to team up 4 networks. ROG CPU-Z helps to keep an eye on your system, RAMDisk allows you to boost your applications and it comes with Kaspersky Anti-Virus (1 year), Daemon Tools and PC Cleaner to accelerate your PC, as well as standard ASUS 3 year warranty (although ASUS claims that warranty may change for some regions).

Conclusions

Asus Maximus IX Formula is a great motherboard for gamers, modders, and overclockers alike. It is loaded with features and ASUS stripped away features we did not really need like SATA Express and made space for ones that make sense like M.2 slots and extra fan headers etc. The armor is the part that defines the motherboard together with the integrated EK water block, although maybe few are going to use it, it still is a huge improvement in my opinion. These two features work together both in the aesthetics department, but most importantly in regards of cooling, keeping the main heating components to a lower temperature. It has a high price, but the price includes the EK water block. As for closest alternatives, the MSI and ASRock don’t have water cooled motherboards, Gigabyte Z270X-Gaming 9 is the only similar solution and Gigabyte is still a bit behind on performance, features, and has a higher price.

This gaming motherboard for I5 was released back in 2015, and is still one of the best gaming motherboards for Intel I5 processors in my opinion, even though there are a lot of new boards that have come out since. ASRock is and always has been looking for value awards and Gaming K4 is no different, as it is one of the cheapest boards on this list. The biggest strength of this board would be its CPU clocking capabilities, as it can go toe to toe with higher price boards. New design and features mostly are aimed to protect your motherboard and components from power surges, as ASRock has included many upgrades and built in safety keys to protect your system from unwanted power surges, guarantee more stable and smoother power delivery to the components, and to expand its lifespan.

Features and Extras

With 10 Power phase design Gaming K4 allows smoother power delivery to the CPU which allows better clocking capabilities than other competitors in its range. The M.2 32 Gb/s interface helps to push the transfer speed up to 32 Gb/s, and there are still other features built into this board to enhance your gaming and to protect your system.

Conclusions

Definitely the best gaming motherboard under 200$. The red accents are nice if you’re after a good-looking board as well. It can hang occasionally in the BIOS but not very often. It will provide gamers with decent CPU clocking and really good overclock for two memory modules. Gaming K4 is not made for elite overclockers but focused more on average overclockers with its built-in features, which, without a doubt, make it the top value choice when compared to its competitors.

Pros

[lists style=”plus” color=”#1e73be”]What to like about Z170 Gaming K4:

Easy UEFI interface

Performance

Excellent power consumption

Accessories

Price

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Cons

[lists style=”minus” color=”#1e73be”]What to consider:

There are users complaining about BIOS and few features freezing or crashing

[alert variation=”alert-info”] AMD just recently released their new Ryzen processors with completely new AM4 CPU socket, and with few new motherboards already out there is going to be a lot more in short time, so stay updated [/alert]

ASUS Crosshair Formula-Z is the oldest motherboard in this list, as it was released back in 2012 and it still hasn’t lost its spot as one of the best gaming motherboards for AMD processors. Just like with Gaming K4, there are a lot of newer competitors with few greater capabilities then Formula Z, but overall performance and durability has made it one of my favorite AMD type motherboards. The Formula-Z’s clocking capabilities can keep even the most hardcore overclockers busy for some time when trying to push their CPU performance just a bit more, and with ROG connect you can release your inner geek and OC your build on another machine to lower the CPU interruption avoiding crashes.

Features and Extras worth mentioning

The Intel Ethernet LAN and GamerFirst allow you to shape your traffic for lower ping rates and reducing stuttering. Plus, with four power connections for the board, graphics and CPU in addition to a very large capacitor for audio shows the length ASUS has gone to make this beast as stable as possible. As other ASUS boards it comes with Kaspersky Anti-Virus software, Daemon Tools Pro Standart and standard ASUS 3 year warranty (although ASUS claims that warranty may change for some regions).

Conclusions

ASUS and other manufacturers need to start making more AM3 boards like this one! Impressed by not only the features built into it but also the appeal it adds to the build. The UEFI Bios is visually pleasing and is very easy to use. Coupled with the strong LLC, it is sustaining a CPU that pulls 140+ watts and a GPU that will peak to near 300 watts with a 24/7 power on. 24 pin and a 8 pin for the CPU socket as well as an additional 4 pin connection to provide the extra needs of overclocking the CPU, it also has a built in Molex 12 Volt to grant extra power for Multiple GPUs running on the PCIe slots. Definitely the best gaming motherboard under 200, and one of the best AMD motherboards out there.

Pros

[lists style=”plus” color=”#1e73be”]What to like about Crosshair Formula-Z:

Well built in features

Easy to use bios

Performance on price is above excellent

Triple Crossfire capability

Supreme FX III audio

Build quality

ROG

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Cons

[lists style=”minus” color=”#1e73be”]What to consider:

Cooling could be better, few times ran into heat problems when pushed hard

Sabertooth is the third generation of 990FX series, it is a complete ATX board for AMD processors and excels with FX series processors and without the best AMD motherboard. TUF military components ensure that this motherboard will withstand even the harshest punishments you can give to it and it would not break. PCB print was used just right and TUF did not go over the top with it, plus with AURA lighting it looks really attractive giving it a nice backlight.

Features and Extras

Thermal Radar 2 allows you to control fans inside your case and monitor the board’s temperature in real time thanks to several heat sensors and allows you to adjust manually or optimize the performance with one click. With other TUF special features and ASUS features it is ensured to have the safest and fastest build you can manage, as TUF is confident it can take 24/7 beating and are confident in their creation with a 5-year TUF warranty.

Conclusions

Sabertooth is a motherboard that any AMD fanboy, overclocker or gamer should base their build around. Incredibly powerful and sturdy, Sabertooth brings looks along with its name to dominate the motherboard market. Having tons of space for any and all attachments, it can handle massive amounts of power by equipping it with an SLI GPU setup. You can easily power your incredible CPU as far as your cooling allows you to. It is really a great board with many overclocking options. It has your standard I/O ports for a motherboard. Speaking of BIOS, ASUS UEFI BIOS is very impressive, detailed and easy to use even for users with new experience in dealing with BIOS, and the large number of USB ports, SATA ports and fan connectors is just icing on the cake.

Pros

[lists style=”plus” color=”#1e73be”] What to like about Sabertooth 990FX 3.0:

Sturdy

Asus bios is very easy to use

Great features

Performance

Supports SLI and Crossfire

ASUS Safeslot

M.2 slot

5-year warranty

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Cons

[lists style=”minus” color=”#1e73be”]What to consider:

Color for few people

Likes to crash, but recovers quite decent from it

Price

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[tabs style=”nav-tabs”]
[tab title= “Supported CPU”]

CPU Socket Type

AM3+

CPU Type

FX / Phenom II / Athlon II / Sempron 100 Series

FSB

Up to 5.2 GT/s HyperTransport 3.0

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[tab title=”Chipsets”]

AMD 990FX/SB950

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[tab title=”Memory”]

Number of Memory Slots

4×240pin

Memory Standard

DDR3 1866/ 1600/ 1333/ 1066

Maximum Memory Supported

32GB

Channel Supported

Dual Channel

[/tab]
[tab title=”Expansion Slots”]

PCI Express 2.0 x16

3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (dual x16 or x16/x8/x8) *1

1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode, black)

*1: When running dual graphics cards, be sure to insert the card in the first and third PCIex16 slot to get the best performance.

A person who likes to follow what is new in the tech world, test everything to their limits and break them if necessary. Self-taught mechanic and electrician. Everything about computers I have learned mostly by myself (except some time in IT college :D)